Crispy Herbed Turkey Time!

There are all sorts of fancy ways to cook a turkey… deep frying, brining, stuffing. Since potlucks don’t really work when you are 100% gluten-free and most of your friends and family are not, we find ourselves making every single Thanksgiving dish… then packing them up and bringing them with us.

Crispy Herbed Turkey with Brussels Sprouts

The one thing I insist on, however, is crispy skin, so the crock pot is out of the question. (Not to mention also too small – even if my bird is only feeding 4, I want lots of leftovers!) Here’s the quick, easy way we did our test turkey this week.

Herbed Turkey

Ingredients

The turkey, ready for its treatment

• turkey (this one was about 10 lbs)
• fresh sage
• fresh rosemary
• fresh thyme
• fresh oregano
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• about 1-2 Tbsp real salt
• ghee, schmaltz, or turkey fat

Directions

Minced herbs and garlic

1. Preheat the oven to 450F.
2. Remove the giblets and neck, rinse your turkey inside and out, and pat dry.
3. Chop up all the herbs and garlic finely, (about 1 cup all together) and mix with salt

Stuff the herbs between the skin and meat

4. Stuff the herb mixture between the skin and the muscle of the turkey. Try to get most of the turkey covered. (This step can be done hours or a day ahead of time)
5. Truss the legs and sew up any major gaps in the skin, tuck the wings under, and transfer to rack in a roasting pan large enough for the whole turkey (it will drip!).
6. Slather the turkey in ghee or fat.

Tuck the wing tips under so they don’t burn

7. Insert a stainless steel meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, and bake for about 15 minutes.
8. Turn the oven down to 325F and continue to bake for about 20 minutes per pound, or until the thermometer reads 165F. You may also want to temp the thigh with an instant read thermometer.

Temped turkey is ready to rest

9. During baking, rotate the bird periodically if your oven does not heat evenly.
10. Remove from oven and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before carving.

This post is part of Grateful GAPS Holiday Foods, Real Food Wednesday